Journey's Lost
by Eidolone
Summary: When Ellone and Seifer go Missing, Squall and the others are summoned by Laguna to step into a new time portal and bring them back. Can they do it? Sorry guys updated my really crappy Chapter three cause the first one was bad.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, the characters, or Locations. I do own the story. **

**Journey's Lost**

**Background**

It was four years after the defeat of Ultimecia that things finally returned to normal in the world of Final Fantasy VIII. Laguna stayed on as president of Esther until a peace treaty was established between Esther, Dollet, Timber, and Galbadia. Afterwards, Laguna handed in his resignation, relinquishing his presidential title and together with Kiros and Ward departed to places unknown.

Seifer also disappeared and went into hiding – no longer under the control of the sorceress – he learned that an official military order was issued for his immediate capture for his crimes against Galbadia and Esther government. Last that Squall heard, Seifer was secretly hiding somewhere in Fisherman's Horizon, exploiting Rajin's fishing skills, though otherwise making a decent living for themselves.

Garden continued as always, training young would-be SeeD Cadets as a separate military organization. Granted most of the hiring of SeeDs was generally reduced to performing civic duties, but training was as always vigorous until that time when the world needed them once more.

**Chapter One**

The food court in Balamb garden was packed when Squall Lionheart entered the food court. Although he was hoping for nothing more than a quiet lunch hour, a bunch of young SeeD Cadets immediately swarmed him.

"Mr. Lionheart can you show us that fighting technique again?" A young student asked.

"Mr. Lionheart!" Several others uttered.

Squall shook his head despairingly. "Please. If you have any questions save them for the extra training sessions I set up for tonight." He said before making his way towards the front counter.

The lunch lady smiled in greeting when he finally approached the counter and proceeded to hand over a tray of hotdogs, fries, and water. Squall smiled non-cryptically. Ever since Squall found her son and told him to return home, she had always saved the last of the hotdogs for Squall in return for his part of reunited her with her son. Ironically, after all this time, he still did not know her name. At first, he simply did not care enough, but now he was too embarrassed to admit he did not know her name, even after all this time.

Slightly flushed, he passed over a few bills, and added a few extra for her tips.

"Oh, Squall, you don't need to give me a tip." She exclaimed happily, immediately trying to hand back the extra bills.

"Hey!" Zell protested angrily in the aisle next to him. "I thought you told me you were out of hotdogs!" He muttered to the lunch lady serving him.

Squall shook his head and managed a short smile. "Take it." He insisted and without waiting for her to refuse, he walked away with his tray in hand, as Zell continued to complain behind him.

The food court was packed this time of day and as he stood surveying the tables for his friends, he felt rather foolish standing in the middle of the food court with a lost expression on his face. Normally, he would just walk to the nearest empty table and sit down to eat alone, but ever since he had meet Rinoa, everything had changed.

"Squall over here!" Quistis yelled, waving him from over on the other side of the food court. He made his way over noticing at once that Selphie and Irvine were already huddled together as they went over details for the Garden Festival.

Irvine was now a legitimate SeeD at Balamb Garden. The moment Irvine discovered that Balamb was much less strict than Galbadia he immediately made a request for a transfer. The fact that Selphie was also here was another huge motivator.

"I want to do something really special this year." Selphie declared excitably as she went over her list. Irvine was on the executive committee for the Garden Festival alongside Quistis and Rinoa. Squall and Zell, however, were the only ones of the group who have still not taken an interest yet despite the repeated attempts by the others.

"I was thinking fireworks this year…" Selphie continued with large brown eyes twinkling. "You know as the opening to the band."

"That's a great idea!" Quistis replied enthusiastically.

Squall chewed on his hotdog disinterested. Where was Rinoa anyway? He wondered thoughtfully. Between her SeeD exams and Squall's classes they barely been able to see each other anymore. He missed her greatly.

Quistis noticed his distilled silence. "You know, as an expert Squall analyzer…" Quistis muttered, smiling rather smugly. "I would guess that you are wondering why Rinoa isn't here."

Squall eyes rose in interest before he could stop himself.

Quistis smiled in satisfaction. "She is in the middle of taking her SeeD exam.

She said that she will meet up with you later."

Squall nodded faintly and continued chewing on his food. He hated how she continued to analyze him as though she knew exactly what he was thinking. Perhaps even more annoying was the fact of how she was always surprisingly accurate. Was he that predictable? Suddenly Squall recognized the significance of her words.

"Wait a minute that's today?" Squall asked quickly.

"Oh darn that's right I wasn't suppose to tell you." Quistis flustered embarrassed.

"Tell me what?" Squall demanded.

However, before she could answer, Zell sat down at their table, dropping his tray onto their table with a loud clatter. Selphie jumped back in surprise.

"Hey!" She complained, grabbing her clipboard from underneath his tray just in time. "Watch what you are doing! I worked hard on these lists."

"Sorry." Zell mumbled, slightly flushed. Evidently, Zell was still peeved of being unable to convince the lunch ladies to give him his hotdogs.

Squall hesitated then handed Zell his last untouched hotdog. Zell brightened immediately.

"Wahoo! My day is complete!" He exclaimed happily, and before Squall changed his mind, he quickly scarfed down his hotdog, grinning pleasurably with each bite.

Squall shrugged his shoulders as he fought to keep a bemused smile from forming on his lips. Most of the people he knew would find Zell's behavior rather childish, but Squall understood Zell much better than that. The life of a SeeD was never simple. Most of the kids here were brought while they were still young and during the first five years, training was harsh and vigorous. Most civilians, if they truly understood the kind of training they had to endured, would probably condemn Garden as unethical, but in an unethical world, if they expected to survive, training demanded nothing less from their students. So, just like Irvine who took his pleasure in reading his naughty magazines, Zell took his pleasure in eating his hotdogs. In the world where SeeD must self-sacrifice everything to the service of others, a few happy indulgences were all they had.

Suddenly, static sounded on the speakers and Cid's voice rang clear across the food court. "Squall Lionheart – will you please come to my office?"

Damn.

"Sounds important." Quistis replied non-cryptically. "It has been awhile since the headmaster requested your presence."

Squall shrugged. "I doubt it. He probably just wants to find out how my classes are going. It is probably not that big of a deal."

"Perhaps." She agreed, though skeptically.

Taking the last few bites of his hotdog, Squall cleaned his tray from the table and began making his way to Cid's office. Along the way, Quistis' words began to replay in his mind. Usually, whenever Cid summoned him the meetings turned out rather disappointing. The first time Cid had summoned him he had made Squall Balamb's representative when they had crashed into Fisherman's Horizon. Shortly after, he became leader of Balamb Garden in the attack against Sorceress Edea. Now if that was not bad, now he was Garden's new training specialist and as a result he currently spent the majority of his time training seasoned SeeD Cadets.

It was not as if he hated his job, but he was a SeeD, a combat specialist. It was much easier to take orders and fight battles than it was explaining to a bunch of excited SeeD cadets how to fight.

Standing in front Cid's office door Squall hesitated and knocked quietly. The door swung open and a kindly looking old man with brown straggly hair and glasses stood there, stepping aside from him to come inside. He noticed immediately that Kiros and Ward seated on the brown leather couch.

"Squall we have a rather disturbing issue that needs to be dealt with immediately." Cid announced at once and for the first time Squall realized he was worried.

Squall saluted respectfully. "Does this have anything to do with Laguna?" He asked, noticing that while Kiros and Ward were here Laguna was strangely absent.

"Yes." Cid confirmed hesitantly. "But the situation is much more complex than that."

Squall waited, knowing that he would explain the situation all in good time.

"What do you know of the Tomb of the Unknown King?" Cid continued, cleaning his glasses thoughtfully with the end of his shirt.

Squall considered. "Not much." He admitted and then realized that was not exactly true. Sudden memories came flooding back to him of the time he went there with Quistis and Zell to retrieve an ID bracelet for General Caraway. Zell typically managed to get them lost and after wandering inside for several hours, they accidentally stumbled into the two brothers.

Kiros narrowed his eyes as he looked down at number of documents laid upon the table. "According to your reports you mentioned seeing an apparition after you defeated the two brothers."

"Yes." Squall agreed, shifting uneasily. "At the same time we thought that we could have been mistaken. It was dark."

Kiros nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Squall we have some bad news to tell you."

Squall lifted his chin. "Yeah, I kind of figured that. What happened? Did Laguna try stuffing the apparition back in its tomb?" He replied jokingly.

Kiros shook his head, smiling sadly. "No, Ellone is missing and so is Seifer."

Squall narrowed his eyes angrily. "What do you mean Ellone is missing?" He demanded glazing back to Kiros and Cid. "How can she be missing?"

Kiros hesitated. "It means exactly what I said it means. Somehow we believe that the Tomb of the Unknown King is connected to her disappearance."

Squall shook his head. "How is that possible?"

Kiros sighed. "We do not know exactly it is possible, but what we do know is that Ellone was standing next to the tomb when she disappeared as well as Seifer who standing next to her."

Squall regarded Kiros solemnly before continuing. "I think you better explain the whole story from the beginning."

Kiros nodded and once Squall sat down began the tale of what had happened.

Subsequently, once Laguna relinquished his position as president of Esther, he decided to go back to fulfilling his dream as world-class traveler.

"The only problem was finding new locations that Timber Mechanics would be excited enough to publish. The Centra Ruins was first on his list, followed by the Deep Sea Research Felicity. However, after our harrowing escape from the Research Facility, the next place on Laguna's list was the Tomb of the Unknown King." Kiros explained thoughtfully.

"We knew that Seifer was hiding in Fisherman Horizon and thought that he would prove useful incase we ran into some monsters. Moreover, Ellone insisting on joining us and for various reasons Laguna decided Seifer would prove useful in keeping her safe while we worked on documenting the ruins."

"So," Kiros continued, "after some preparations we made we headed towards the Tomb of the Unknown King. During the first few days, everything turned out well. We managed to avoid the traps and we made it to the tomb safely."

"Ellone began to sense an eerie presence and began shaking visibly. Laguna figured she was simply spooked and asked Seifer to escort her outside. However, the moment Seifer reached her that was when it happened. Ellone and Seifer suddenly disappeared."

"We have one theory." Cid said interrupting suddenly. "We believe that after the defeat of Ultimecia a residue to cross over to other timelines still exist in some parts of the world. Dr. Odine suggested as much shortly after you returned from Ultimecia's world. However, at the time, Odine assured us that the possibility of stumbling into these time portals and crossing over are slim at best. However, considering the supernatural nature of the tomb as well as Ellone's unique abilities we believe that somehow Ellone accidentally triggered a time portal. Since we have no idea where she might have gone or what we might find once we get there we believe it is crucial to send SeeDs along to find Ellone and Seifer and bring them back to our time."

"Where is Laguna now?" Squall inquired absentmindedly.

Kiros shifted uncomfortably. "Laguna went to Esther to find Dr. Odine. We will need his expertise if we hope to succeed in bringing you back. There is a possibility that this portal is nothing more than a fluke in the space-time continuum. As such, there is also a possibility that there is no coming back, especially since Ellone did not. Dr. Odine is the only one that can determine whether this possible or not."

Squall lifted his eyes. "Do you think that maybe another sorceress can be involved?"

Cid nodded thoughtfully. "The possibility did cross our minds. Frankly we have no idea."

Squall nodded. "I understand." He replied, standing. "I will see what I can do."

"Good." Cid smiled. "But you won't be going alone. If the rest are willing, you will be going with Quistis, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie. Nida will in the meantime take over your classes until your return. I will leave you to sort out the details. If the others agree to take on this mission, please send them to my office for confirmation. In addition, inform Irvine and Quistis that I want them to take over your training session that you booked for tonight. You just focus on what you need to do to get ready."

"All right." Squall replied, saluting again before heading to the door. Half way there he suddenly stopped. "What about Rinoa?"

Cid glanced up from his paperwork, surprised. "She is not ready yet. She will have to remain here in Garden until your return."

"Even if there isn't a possibility we can't come back." Squall demanded questionably.

"Yes. I am sorry Squall, but that is the way it has to be."

Squall smile was bitter. "I am sorry Sir. But I cannot do that." He said as Cid returned his attention to his desk.

"Excuse me?" Cid demanded.

"Sir, if I may. You are asking me to undertake a mission that may very well mean the end of my existence in this time. Moreover, you are asking me to leave behind one of the few people in the world who I care about more than anything. You above all others know that a sorceress needs her knight in order to remain in control of her powers. To leave Rinoa here alone would be opening this time to numerous problems should her powers ever get the best of her. I will not leave her here alone with that possibility. I have sworn to protect her from any possible danger. So, as you can see, I cannot leave unless I am assured of Rinoa's safety."

"I can assure you she is more than safe here." Cid replied softly.

"Under whose protection? Yours?" Squall asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "And if her powers managed to get the best of her would you do everything to protect her still?"

Cid dropped his pencil and glared at him suspiciously. "I am not sure exactly what you are getting at."

"You would have allowed us to kill your own wife in exchange for our safety and it is the fact that you would do so that worries me."

Cid faced flushed, pain and angry by his accusation. "How dare you try and question my motives! You have no idea the kind of choice I had to make!"

"I do and I am sorry for questioning your motives, I meant no disrespect. All the same, Rinoa must at least be given the choice in deciding whether she wishes to join us or not."

"That's complete and utter bullshit. You know damn well she will follow you no matter what was at stake."

Squall shrugged and said nothing, knowing all too well he had served Garden faithfully to be refused one simple request now.

Cid himself seemed to be debating this one and single fact and after a moment of silence, he sighed, defeated.

"Very well, I will allow this one single concession this time and this time only." Cid agreed and saluted, dismissing him.

Squall saluting back and quickly turned and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Yeah, I know. I had to change chapter one a bit since I had made it much too short, so if you had happened to read chapter one before I had made the changes, sorry about that. I was a bit excited to get this story idea going. However, if it makes a difference I promise I will only submit chapters once I am positive that I am satisfied with what I have written. Thanks for your patience…Eidolone. **_

**Chapter 2**

After Squall learned the specifics behind Ellone's disappearance, he returned to the food court to locate his friends. Once he finished the long and chilling tale, each of his friends agreed to accompany him on this mission and went upstairs to confirm their decision to Headmaster Cid. He placed Zell and Selphie in charge of gathering provisions while Irvine and Quistis prepared teaching Squall's class tonight in his steed. Squall on the other hand spent the next few hours in his room considering the best way to tell Rinoa about his mission and the possibilities of what was at stake.

_**Rinoa**_

Sorceress Edea smiled encouragingly as Rinoa concentrated her power to knock the apple from the tree without bruising it or allowing it to fall to the ground.

"This is difficult." Rinoa complained, giggling nervously.

"Just take your time. This is not a test to prove whether you can do it quickly, rather it is a test to demonstrate your control. Breathe deeply while picturing the apple shaking loose from the tree, and hold it. Remember do not allow the apple to fall." Edea whispered as she watched Rinoa concentrate.

Rinoa breathed deeply and slowly allowed her power to build as she concentrated on shaking the apple loose. The apple began twitching in response, agonizingly slow. After several frustrating moments, Rinoa pushed a bit harder, anxious to finish her exam so she could meet up with Squall and the others.

"Careful. You must have patience." Edea warned as she began to feel Rinoa's power build aggressively.

The apple began shaking much too violently and in a desperate attempt, Rinoa tried suppressing her power only a few seconds too late. The apple shook from the tree and splattered onto the ground.

Breathing heavy, Rinoa slumped to the ground in disappointment.

"I failed didn't I?" She mumbled softly.

Edea sat down beside her and placed a kind reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Yes." She confirmed gently. "But do not think of this test as you failing. You have exercised much greater control over your abilities than when I first started training you. I think you are putting way too much expectation on yourself."

Rinoa sighed. "I just want to be ready to help my friends."

Edea smiled. "And once you are ready, I believe you will do a fantastic job. It is not easy being a sorceress. Few people in the world will accept us, and even fewer still can teach us how to control our power, but that is the reason you are here, to learn and grow into the person you are meant to be. No one said it was going to be easy."

Rinoa sighed, drawing her legs close. "I guess four out of ten isn't so bad."

"No it isn't." Edea agreed. "Especially since it was during the beginning of this exam when you succeeded the most, but that is the point isn't it? You must learn to exercise great patience when you are using your powers. If the test were to knock down one apple, you would have succeeded easily. It is much more difficult, however, when you must exercise control over a longer period of time."

"And don't worry about failing this one time. Many students fail numerous of times before they pass. We'll try again once you have more training." Edea replied reassuringly.

Rinoa sighed and stood up. "Thank you Matron." She said, saluting respectfully as she had seen Squall and the others do.

"Thank you Rinoa, but there is no need for you to salute to me. I would rather think of myself as your friend than as your superior officer."

"I know." Rinoa replied, grinning. "It makes me feel as if I truly belong here."

Edea smiled wistfully. "You do belong here Rinoa and I hope we have managed to make you feel welcomed." Edea replied, giving Rinoa a hug. "Now go. We will try this test again later, until then enjoy your evening."

Rinoa smiled gracefully and departed, anxious to return to Garden to find Squall and the others. It still felt a bit strange to her to be here. She did not grow up in Garden, as did the other kids. She was an outsider and the other students knew it. Most of the time she did not let the thoughts of the other students bother her, but sometimes she could not help but feel that some of the students felt resentful towards her. Rinoa was twenty-one years old now and by Garden regulations, students who have not made SeeD status by the time they are 19 are normally expelled to find another career suited to their abilities. Yet, Rinoa was a sorceress and as a result, she was granted a special concession. In the end Rinoa was not about to begin complaining. She loved it here.

Crossing the fountain near the Garden entrance, Rinoa suddenly stopped as she saw Zell and Selphie next to a blue van completely preoccupied.

Smiling sheepishly, Rinoa decided to surprise them.

**Zell and Selphie**

"I think we should bring along my T-Board." Zell insisted. "I am telling you it could come in handy on our SeeD mission."

"And I am telling you it is simply too big. We need to be able to travel light if we have to move quickly." Selphie repeated nonchalantly. "Should I bring an extra set of nunchucka's?" She debated thoughtfully before setting them aside. "No. If I end up being disarmed there will be a good chance that all our supplies will be confiscated too."

Zell shook his head stubbornly. "That is why I think we should take it. No one will be able to catch up to you if you need to make a quick get-a-way. Plus, unlike a vehicle, T-Boards are more agile."

Selphie sighed, debating. "No, maybe I should. You can never have enough weapons." She mumbled changing her mind as Zell grumbled irritably. "Zell do whatever you want, but you are in charge of taking care of your T-Board. No one is going to lug that big thing around for you."

"No problem." Zell exclaimed happily packing his T-Board in the back of the blue van.

Selphie rolled her eyes and continued packing. Suddenly, she noticed Rinoa creeping up them. Selphie raised her eyebrows and was about to call out when Rinoa raised her finger to her lips, signaling Selphie to remain quiet.

"Zell, can you check inside the Van to see if I put the first aid kit inside? I can't remember if I did or not." Selphie asked, grinning mischievously.

Zell dived headfirst and began scouring inside and as he did so, Rinoa came up from behind and screamed loudly.

Zell screamed and thumped his head on the van roof at the same moment that Rinoa and Selphie burst out laughing.

"Thanks a lot!" Zell muttered, rubbing his forehead irritably.

Rinoa laughed. "Sorry Zell, I just couldn't resist."

"_Sure_ you couldn't." Zell muttered, rubbing his forehead, though was otherwise in good spirits. "So what's up? Did you pass?"

Rinoa's face dropped.

"Oh no! What happened?" Selphie inquired, concerned.

"Ah, I don't really want to get into it." Rinoa muttered, glancing sideways. "I am just glad I didn't tell Squall it was today. I don't think I could have handled him knowing I failed my exam."

Zell and Selphie abruptly exchanged looks, which did escape Rinoa's notice. "O.k. which one of you guys told him." She asked, crossing her arms.

"Ah, it was an accident." Zell muttered apologetically. "It sort of slipped out at lunch. Squall was wondering where you were and Quistis…"

Rinoa immediately nodded in understanding. "Figures…"

"You're not mad are you?" Selphie asked worried.

"Mad? No. I just wish she did not tell him. Now he is bound to ask how it went." Rinoa pursed her lips, looking rather flustered.

A moment of silence ensued, then. "What's going on? It looks as though you guys are about to go on a trip somewhere."

"Ah, might be best to let Squall explain to you what is going on." Zell answered carefully. "Actually, you should go and ask him seeing how it concerns you too…well sort of…" Zell hesitated awkwardly.

Rinoa raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "Right, that makes perfect sense." Rinoa teased gently. "Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, he is probably hanging out in his room." Zell answered, lifting another bag into the van. "Also you might want to consider packing a few things together. It looks like we got a long trip ahead of us."

_**Irvine and Quistis**_

Irvine stood in front of the class importantly as he began speaking. "Now I know Squall has been teaching you how to disarm your opponent, but with these…" He said, whipping out his shotgun. "There is no need to disarm your opponent if they cannot get close to you to attack." He said, caressing his gun admirably.

Some of the students chuckled humorously.

"A firearm is capable of taking out several armed opponent before they can get close enough to disarm you. This will give you a huge advantage against melee targets." Irvine continued waving towards the practice targets before them. "Quistis if you please."

Quistis reached over the mechanical level to turn on the machine. The targets shifted on the mechanical belt and started to move forward. Irvine lifted his gun and taking aim shot several movable targets, missing only two of his intended objectives.

"Great shot, though you missed two of your targets." Quistis pointed out teasingly.

"Uhm, yes, well." Irvine mumbled, scratching his head. "I did that on purpose actually." He said, quickly covering himself. "Practicing your aim is for obvious reasons crucial to take out as many opponents as possible. However, in the chance that your enemies manage to get close enough to attack, the gun can still be used in melee combat." Irvine declared as he demonstrated this fact by upper-cutting one of his targets. "Now there are several guns designed specifically for both range and melee attacks. The musket, for example, had a pike that could be attached to the end of your barrel. I advise never to buy that gun. It is utter junk. The range reliability is pathetic and reloading takes decades. However, as I have demonstrated, any blunt weapon is a wonderful asset in melee combat. Any questions?"

A student in the front row raised her hand. "I was just wondering how close a target has to be in order gain a hit with a standard rifle."

Irvine nodded enthusiastically. "Most standard rifles can hit a target at 200-250 yards – depending of course on the skill of person. Any other questions?"

Another hand shot up. "Can you show us?"

Irvine grinned. "Of course, guns are my specialty…as well as woman." Irvine answered, winking sheepishly at one of the girls seated in the front row.

Quistis rolled her eyes.

Irvine surveyed his surroundings for a suitable target. Cocking his rifle, he sighted and pulled the trigger, blasting one of the spotlights on the security fence several hundred yards away.

The class cheered and Irvine blushing with pride began twirling his gun in his hand, showing off when another shot accidentally fired, missing the pretty brown haired girl by mere inches.

"IRVINE! WATCH WHAT YOU ARE DOING! YOU NEARLY SHOT ONE OF THE STUDENTS!" Quistis screamed furiously.

Irvine pulled back his gun, shocked and embarrassed by his close mishap. "Uhm…yes…well…" He flustered nervously. "I meant to do that too actually." He explained in the desperate attempt to cover himself. "As you see…it is important to take guns seriously. They pack amazing destructive powers and once you begin to get comfortable using them, it is easy to get careless."

The student who was nearly shot glared at him as well as several other students.

"Uhm…yes, I am deeply sorry about that." Irvine admitted apologetically. "Now if you all grab your practice arms you may practice shooting while I monitor your progress."

Quistis closed her eyes and as she had watched Squall do many times, shook her head in disbelief.

**Squall and Rinoa**

Squall had just finished packing when he heard a knock at his door. He walked to his door and opening it found Rinoa standing on the other side.

"What's wrong Squall?" Rinoa asked as she noticed the worried expression on his face. "Where are you guys going?"

Squall shook his head and drew her close to him for a moment before answering. "Kiros and Ward are here and they think Ellone somehow managed to step into a time portal. This is the third time now that Laguna failed to protect her."

Rinoa stepped back and pushed back a lock of hair from his face. "What are you planning to do?"

Squall sighed. "I have no idea. I think the general plan is to send us through the time portal so we can find her and bring her back. The only problem is that we still have no idea whether we can come back. Ellone didn't."

Rinoa sat down and considered carefully before answering. "Well, I think I should come with you."

Squall nodded. "I know, but you do understand there is the possibility we might end up stuck there?"

Rinoa smiled. "Yes, but I also know that Ellone is there and now that I am a sorceress maybe Ellone can help me trigger another time compression."

Squall sighed and sat down on his bed, looking rather uncertain.

"Hey!" Rinoa complained. "I can handle it."

"It is not that I am worried if you can handle it." Squall said, shaking his head resolutely. "I am more worried about the implications of what could happen if we attempt another time compression."

Rinoa's face dropped. "I see."

"Yeah, but it is still a possibility. Dr. Odine should be able to tell us." Squall said, shrugging.

"Well, regardless I am coming with you." Rinoa insisted, standing. "There is no way I am going to be left behind again."

Squall smiled and held her hand, brightening immediately. "So how did your seed exam go?" He asked, changing the subject.

Rinoa shook her head. "It didn't, I failed."

"Oh." Squall muttered dropping his hand. "Sorry to hear about that."

"It's all right. I wasn't ready. I'll pass next time." Rinoa muttered, disappointed.

Squall embraced her tenderly and it was not until several moments had passed, and Rinoa left to pack, did they finally part.

**Chapter End Notes**: Ugh. I hate sappy stories, but I suppose since that is probably how these characters are now that they love each other it is unavoidable. Hope you enjoy the story so far.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Notes**: I totally had to fix up this chapter as it was really bad. Sorry about that.

**The Mission Briefing**

Squall rose early the next morning to the bright rays gleaming through his bedroom window. He glanced at his alarm clock and turned over thinking about sleeping for another fifteen minutes when the events of the previous day came rushing back through his mind. Ellone and Seifer were still missing, lost in another time, and needed their help.

He rose then, tossing aside his covers and began dressing as he began wondering why Ellone has not tried contacting him. He had half expected she would by now, but instead she remained silently absent. Ellone unique ability allowed her to send people's consciousness into the past of the consciousness of someone else and they had once been able to speak to each other like this. It seemed odd that Ellone did not attempt to contact him again in that way and the fact that she did not worried him.

There were only two possible reasons she did not try contacting him. Either someone or something was preventing her or she was in the past. Neither prospect offered a comforting conclusion. If someone was preventing her it meant she was a prisoner or a memory. The former fortunately seemed unlikely. If someone was responsible for Ellone's disappearance it made more sense to keep her alive than go through the trouble to abduct her in the first place.

That left the other possibility. If Ellone was in the past it meant they were dealing with a completely different enemy. Squall did not like thinking about this possibility as it opened up too many questions

1. How did they know Ellone?

2. What did she or he want? And;

3. How did they managed to abduct her?

Currently, Dr. Odine was the only one to analyzed Ellone's brain patterns to make the first model of a future time travelling machine, but Junction Machine Ellone was useless and would remain so for several more generations. It meant that whoever the enemy was he was a formidable opponent indeed and it was not a prospect Squall found very reassuring.

It was a wild theory, but Squall was not naive enough to believe Ellone and Seifer disappeared by chance. He deliberated it last night after Rinoa left to go pack and came to the conclusion that if Ellone and Seifer did step into a time compression residue it seemed unlikely it would open long enough to snatch Ellone and Seifer before Laguna could follow them. If there was anything he learned from the past, he knew Laguna would follow Ellone to the ends of the earth if she was in trouble.

Needless to say there was another variable troubled him. He was not sure why, but somehow he had a feeling there was something about the Tomb of the Unknown King that played a part in the abduction. Long ago, when he fought the two brothers he thought he imagined the apparition and had completely forgotten about it when more pressing concerns emerged. It seemed as though all those events happened a long time ago: the assassination attempt, the escape from Galbadia's prison, the missile attacks, finding Garden in Chaos. He barely had enough time to serious think about it with everything else that happened.

Squall shook his head, swung his knapsack over his shoulder, and started towards the front gate. There was no point in trying to figure what had happened until they had more answers.

Once Squall reached the front gate he sat down to wait. He saw Cid to one side constantly looking down at his watch while Kiros and Ward stood slightly apart - thoughtful and silent. Quistis was pacing.

Soon afterwards Selphie, Rinoa and Irvine joined them.

"I don't see how you can act so casually about the situation. You do realize we might end up being stuck there, right?"

"Don't worry I don't think that will happen," Selphie disagreed quickly. "We found our way back before and this time we have Ellone personally to help us."

Irvine shook his head, "But there are no guarantee that Ellone can help, is there? After all she still hasn't found her way back."

"Irvine you can be such a pessimist sometimes! If you think like that of course you won't make it back!" Selphie replied visibly annoyed.

Irvine groaned in frustration though Squall sensed he was more nervous about the mission than he was annoyed at Selphie. When Irvine received the job to carry out the assassination on sorceress Edea, Irvine voiced his concerns about the job, he broke down at the last moment and got cold feet. Irvine never wanted to be a Seed and in another circumstance Irvine would have chosen to be a private citizen. In the end the only way he was able to get Irvine to make that shot was when he talked him through it. It looked as though Irvine needed another pep talk and made a mental note to talk about it to Selphie later. It would be best if it came from her.

Still Irvine's worries mirrored his own thoughts. What if they couldn't come back? It was tough thinking like that, but he also knew he could not leave Ellone there without doing something to help her.

Zell came last, racing towards the front gate at warp speed, just barely making it on time.

"Sup guys!" Zell waved.

A few greeted him in return as they began lining up to listen to Cid. He waited till they were ready and soon began speaking. "I would like to thank you all for agreeing to take this mission. As I mentioned earlier, Ellone and Seifer slipped into a time portal near the Tomb of the Unknown King. We do not know where they have gone and nor do we know whether it is possible to return to this time. However, your mission is simple, though may prove difficult to execute. First, you must find Ellone and Seifer. Second, you are to find a way back to this time period. Dr. Odine will brief you on the specifics tomorrow at 0900. Until then I wish you Godspeed and may Hyne grant you a safe return."

Everyone saluted Cid and soon began boarding the bus. Once they were all seated, Ward started the vehicle and thus began their long journey.

They rode in silence for awhile each distracted by their own thoughts. Zell fidgeting as always began punching thin air. Irvine, on the other hand, looked down at his feet while the others sat patiently doing nothing.

Quistis was the one who broke the silence. "So, I have been thinking," she began, motioning with her hand. "Does it seem to anyone else coincidental that Ellone and Seifer stumbled into a time portal whereas no one else have yet?"

Squall looked up in acknowledgement. "I had thought that too."

"Yeah seems pretty weird," Zell commented, arms crossed.

Quistis shook her head deliberating, "Has she tried contacting you?" she asked, turning to Squall.

Squall shook his head to say no.

Quistis sighed, "Why do you think she hasn't tried reaching us? It doesn't seem like her."

Suddenly Squall felt everyone's eyes upon him waiting to hear his answer. He hesitated for a moment, hating how everyone was relying on him to figure it out.

"I think it is possible that Ellone was abducted," Squall answered simply.

Selphie's eyes widened. "B-but who would do such a thing? You are not suggesting Ulti-"

"No," Squall said, interrupting quickly. "We defeated her, remember?"

Selphie sat back, deep in thought. "Who then?"

Squall shrugged. He didn't know.

"Well why do you think she was abducted? Maybe it was an accident."

Squall sighed, yes there was still that possibility, but for some reason he had a gut feeling that there was much more to the problem than what they could see on the surface. He was just not sure how he could explain his feelings to them.

"Squall..." Rinoa suddenly spoke. "Why don't you just tell us what you think could have happened."

He nodded, perhaps it is best, at least then I would be able to see what they thought. "Well, I have two theories behind what might have happened. The reason I think she may have been abducted is because if she did open a time portal I am pretty sure Laguna would have jump into the portal after her, but he couldn't because the portal had already closed by then. Other than that I can't say why I don't think it was chance that she stumbled into another time. I just have this gut feeling that tells me it was not an accident. Perhaps it was chance, but I just can't make myself believe it."

"My second theory involves around the reason why Ellone hasn't contacted us. She has the ability to do so, but that is only if she was trapped somewhere in the future which leads me to believe she is not in the future, but somewhere in the past."

"So you think we are dealing with a new enemy?" Irvine piped up.

Squall nodded. "How they know about Ellone I have no idea, but one thing is certain: whoever is our opponent we must not underestimate them."

Selphie nodded, agreeing. "I think this is going to be fun. I just know we'll find Ellone and kick whosever sorry ass it was that took her. We'll get back. I just know it."

"I hope your right, frankly this whole business is beginning to look worst by the minute," Zell said, solemnly.

Squall shrugged as Rinoa's eyes rested upon him.

You'll protect me, right? Her eyes seemed to ask.

Squall smiled and nodded.

...I will always be your knight.

**Chapter End Notes**: Alright, I know that my writing is annoying, but hopefully it doesn't stink TOO much! haha thanks for reading guys =)


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